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Friday Wrap-Up for January 19, 2024 – News from Truro, Shipwright, Upstreet, Tanner & Co, Trailway, Banished, Breton, O’Creek, Sea Level, Ragnarock, Ninepenny, Stillwell, Craft Brewers Association of Nova Scotia, and much more!

Posted by acbbaaron on 2024-01-19
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2 Crows Brewing, Banished Brewing, Breton Brewing, Brewers Journal Canada, Canadian Brewers Choice Awards, Craft Brewers Association of Nova Scotia, Foghorn Brewing, Good Robot Brewing, Libra Non-Alcoholic Beer, Millstone Harvest Brewhouse, Ninepenny Brewing, O'Creek Brewing, OG Ales, RagnaRock Northern Brewing Company, Sea Level Brewing, Shipwright Brewing, Stillwell Brewing, Tanner & Co Brewing, Tire Shack Brewing, Together We Brew, TrailWay Brewing, Truro Brewing Company, Upstreet Craft Brewing. Leave a Comment

Good day, sweet world! The winter drudge continues as we get further into January and whether you’re just looking to keep warm, or stocking up for sports, there is always beer news to be had. We’ve got some new beers, returning beers and a fan favourite event all detailed below for your reading (and future drinking) pleasure.

Kicking off in the Hub of Nova Scotia, Truro Brewing Company has a brand new addition to their fridge and taplist. Lo/Hi is a Session New England IPA that is “lo” in alcohol and “hi” in hop aroma and flavour. If the name looks familiar to you, there may have been some inspiration from The Black Keys song of the same name. The grist for this is Pilsner malt and oats, featuring hops of Galaxy and the Pink Boots Blend (the 7th Pink Boots Blend, which is a mix of Ahtanum, El Dorado, HBC 638 and Idaho 7). The beer comes in at 4% ABV and is available now in cans and on tap.

Also, the fine folks at the brewery are looking for a part time sales representative for the Truro and New Glasgow area, so if you’re interested, apply through Indeed or email your resume to trurobrewco@gmail.com. 

Sticking in the Nova Scotia Session section of these scribbles, Shipwright Brewing is releasing Back Home. This Session IPA is packed with a grain bill of Golden Promise, Vienna, Munich and crystal malts with some oats in there to boot. Hopped with Pahto for bittering, Cascade and Sabro join the party with their dry-hopping additions. The fermentation comes from Escarpment Labs House Ale yeast which brings it all together with lots of citrus, tropical fruit, coconut, and pineapple in a 4.7% and 37 IBU package. This is available at the taproom for pints, growlers and crowlers!

The staff out of Charlottetown’s Upstreet Brewing have a new release for the people. Every once in a while there are special staff brews and this latest one is Balanced Breakfast, an Oatmeal Coffee Stout. Brewed up by Ryan Cheverie, who is a friendly face seen behind the bar at Upstreet’s Craft Beer Corner (CBC). At 5% this beer uses a Supremo Columbian roast from Caledonia House Coffee to help with the roasted and bittersweet flavours. This beer is on tap and in cans at their Taproom and CBC in limited quantities. It’s also available on Nitro at CBC.  Grab this one today, Islanders!

Mead alert! Our favourite Chester Basin brewery, Tanner & Co Brewing, has a new mead (use that honey, baby!) out with some lovely additions. Blood Orange & Motueka Sparkling Mead uses local honey, blood orange, and Motueka hops, to balance with each other on top of the base recipe of honey fermented mead. The sweetness of honey, zip and bitterness of the hops, and citrus notes from the blood oranges all come together in a punch of sparkling flavour at 5.9%. This one is canned and available from the brewery directly to pick-up at their locations or online for delivery. 

Red alert! Fredericton’s IPA rulers, Trailway Brewing, have a brand new release out now in the form of Answers in Red, a Red IPA. Dark, bready, and slightly fruity, the hops used bring some resin and pine notes for a well balanced 6% IPA. There isn’t a lot of this style around but you can think of it as a slightly stronger and hoppier Amber Ale, like the cousin of an American IPA, but sweeter and darker. It’s canned and available at their Fredericton and Saint John locations.

And fresh off the canning line is a new beer in support of the UNB Student Union Food Bank. Food security is important for all of us, especially young folks during a critical learning phase of life. A portion of the sales of Limeaid is being donated to the Food Bank, but you can also donate yourself at the link above! This 4.8% beer saves you the trouble of putting your lime and salt in your crushable lager, it comes pre-dosed! Zesty, with a hint of salinity, but very refreshing and enjoyable, do some good this weekend and pick up some Limeaid! Like Answers in Red, cans and draught are available at both Trailway locations.

Paradise’s beer options have expanded this week, thanks to the fine folks at Banished Brewing on Maverick Place. Continuing their ode to their homebase, Paradise Town – Italian Plum has hit the shelves, and draught lines, this week. Sweet, tart, and a lovely rosy pink colour, plenty of plum character shines through in this 5.5% ABV beer. You can find it in Paradise Town itself, and hitting the shelves elsewhere on the Avalon any day now!

Sydney, NS, darling Breton Brewing is continuing their own series of beers, as they extend their experimentation in the world of cold fermentation. Breton Lager #3 is the latest in that vein, keeping the Mexican Lager style from version 2, but switching up the yeast strain. The beer remains crisp and light, and above all, drinkable! This beer, as well as Breton Lager #2, are available at the brewery and Home Delivery in both the CBRM and HRM!

O’Creek Brewing out of Moncton has a new Double IPA coming to the people! Living in a Haze is a Hazy Double IPA that is big on the tropical notes and full of juiciness. The beer is 8% but only 25 IBU and features a lovely variety of hops. All added in the whirlpool and back later for dry-hopping is a mix of Mosaic, Sabro, Vic Secret and El Dorado. This is available on tap at the taproom today and will be canned early next week!

New Beer Alert in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley! Sea Level Brewing of Port Williams and Sheffield Mills has a new Asian cuisine-inspired beer on tap today. Thai-PA is 4.6% ABV, and light in colour, but not at all light on flavour! Lemongrass, lime leaves, thai chilies, and ginger. Sounds like the perfect pairing to something you may find available at nearby Noodle Guy, or whatever you want to whip up at home. For those looking for a fun night out at their Millstone Harvest Brewhouse should definitely pop by 7 – 9 PM tonight to enjoy some live music from Sky 45. A reminder that location is at 9146 Hwy 221 in Sheffield Mills, about 10 minutes outside Port Williams.

Look up. Waaaaay up. Ragnarock Brewing out of St. Anthony, Newfoundland has a new light lager. Loki’s Blaze is a canned 4% crispy light lager that is available at The Outdoor Shoppe and Western Petroleum for locals. More deliveries will be coming soon!

Moving south of St. Anthony (most things are south of St. Anthony, really), Ninepenny Brewing out of CBS (Conception Bay South, on the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland), has a brand new beer that’s even a new style for them! Seal Cove Stout is an English Stout that is the first stout they’ve ever released! It’s highly drinkable at 5% and features a full body with dark chocolate and roasted coffee notes. This is available only at the taproom for now but will be available at retail stores over the coming weeks. 

Kempt Road’s finest foam friends at Stillwell Brewing have a new, freshly canned batch of their Pale Ale. At 5.3%, this West Coast Pale Ale is classic and delicious. You can check out the history of this beer and all the details back in our September post.

Speaking of Stillwell Brewing, you may have spotted that they hosted the Craft Brewers Association of Nova Scotia Together We Brew brewday earlier this month. That beer will be coming in a few months, coinciding with the festival of the same name, being held April 6th at Pavillion 22 on the Halifax Waterfront. Together We Brew will see more than forty breweries from across the province bringing out their best and freshest beer to share with you! There are two sessions happening that day (afternoon 2 – 4:30 PM and evening 7 – 9:30 PM), with VIP tickets available for each that allow entrance an hour early. Early Bird pricing is on now, so be sure to snag them today!

Congratulations are in order to breweries and brewers across our region on making the shortlist of the 2023 Canadian Brewers Choice Awards. Hosted by Brewers Journal Canada, these awards require nomination, and then are judged based on their stories and the impact they have on the brewery, region, and industry. The Atlantic Provinces have been punching above their weight recently, with Tire Shack Brewery taking home Brewery of the Year and Branding of the Year in 2022, Esty of Foghorn taking home Brewer of the Year, and 2 Crows snagging top honours in New Beer of the Year for Class Maritime Dry Stout. This year’s shortlist includes: Libra Non Alcoholic for Brewery of the Year, Kellye Robertson of Good Robot for Brewer of the Year, Duncan Tennant of Banished Brewing for Young Brewer of the Year, who also is on the list for Community Initiative of the Year for their Paddles Up, Truro Brewing for Branding of the Year, and OG Ales for Sustainability Initiative of the Year. The winners will be announced Jan 31 as part of the MBAA District Ontario Technical Conference in Niagara-On-The-Lake.

Friday Wrap-Up for January 12, 2024 – News from Pump House, North, Dildo, Breton, Party Time, 2 Crows, Sea Level, Boxing Rock, Tata, Sourwood, Banished and More!

Posted by acbbdamian on 2024-01-12
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: 2 Crows Brewing, Banished Brewing, Bannerman Brewing, Boxing Rock Brewing, Breton Brewing, Copper Bottom Brewing, Dildo Brewing, Good Robot Brewing, Grimross Brewing, Loyalist City Brewing Co, Maybee Brewing, North Brewing, Party Time Brewing, Pump House Brewery, Saltbox Brewing, Schoolhouse Brewery, Sea Level Brewing, Sourwood Cidery, Tanner & Co Brewing, Tatamagouche Brewing. Leave a Comment

Is your January still dry, or strangely wet due to the weather? Unless you’re in certain parts of Cape Breton, New Brunswick or Newfoundland, it has been a weird weather start to the year with more wind and rain on its way this weekend. Look at us, typical Maritimers, always talking about the weather. Let’s talk about our other favourite thing, beer (and beer adjacent drinks, events, jobs, media, news, etc.)!

We’re kicking off this week’s beer news with an oldie but a goodie. While we’ve been celebrating lots of anniversaries and birthdays of breweries over the last few months, Pump House Brewery is celebrating their 25th year! Officially opened in September of 1999, they’re kicking off year 25 with a new beer. If you used to show up to parties or barbecues with that classic 12 pack of bottles from the NSLC/ANBL/NLC/PEILC, there is no doubt some nostalgia you have for this brewery and their big anniversary. Who doesn’t remember their first Blueberry Ale?! While we can’t believe time flies so quickly, their new beer is a far cry from those early days. Evolution is a Brut IPA that finishes clean and crisp, but still packs a lot of flavour thanks to the hop bill of Warrior, Citra, Simcoe and El Dorado. Packaged in cans, it’s 6% for an approachable beer that should appeal to all of their customers over time. Look for this in all Pump House locations and potentially some other retail locations as it rolls out over the next few weeks. 

Last week we highlighted some non-alc options for the people (Dry January or not!) and North Brewing decided to join the party in their own way. More in the category of “low ABV” than “no ABV,” Pocket IPA is an ultra light IPA coming in at 2.5% but still high on flavour and body. This small little buddy is brewed with pale malt, Vienna malt, and oats. For the hops, its single hop star is Mosaic.  With low bitterness, medium carbonation, and lots of hop aroma, this is an anytime crusher that can suit a lot of different purposes and activities, and you can put it in your pocket anywhere you go with its 355ml format. It’s available now at all of the North locations and their online store. 

The winter months are classically the time for darker beers and their associated roastier flavors and Dildo Brewing is leaning into that by releasing a brace of beers in collaboration with their neighbours around the other side of Trinity Bay, Trinity Coffee Company. First up is Cappuccino Stout, featuring oats in the grist for a smooth mouthfeel to pair with the rich cappuccino taste thanks to an infusion of Trinity coffee beans. At 5.4% you could probably go full Italian style and have one for breakfast! On the other end of the spectrum, at least the color spectrum, we’ve also got White Stout, a beer for those who like “darker” flavors but aren’t into the slight astringency that can come with classic roasty stout ingredients. Coming in at 5.8% ABV, it’s got plenty of classic stout flavor, and an additional coffee kick from Trinity coffee beans. Look for both of these new releases at the Dildo merchandise shop and their Water Street bottle shop as well.

The gang at Breton Brewing in Sydney, NS, is taking some time during these cold months to prepare for the warmer ones to come. In this case that means brewing up some small batches of lager to ensure that when the sunny weather starts to hit they’ve got the ultimate light lager to put in your hand (or your beach cooler or your softball kit bag). While version #1, which was released just before the holidays, is still pouring in the taproom, the new one is ready to go on tap and in a limited number of cans. This time it’s a Mexican lager, which usually implies perhaps a bit of corn adjunct as opposed to the rice often used in the American light lager style. Crisp, light, and clean, and weighing a paltry 4.0% ABV, as you sip you can cast your mind forward to summer and how nice it might be to neck one of these after mowing the back 40.

Continuing with the Mexican theme, but switching from lager to ale, Mount Uniacke’s Party Time Brewing has done up a new recipe called Party at Mexi’s, a 5%, 35 IBU amber ale. Haligonians of a certain age may fondly remember the days when “Party at Mexi’s” was an after work tradition on Spring Garden Road. These days Mexicala Rosa’s have relocated out to Bayers Lake Business Park, but they’re still serving some of the longest-running Californian-style Mexican cuisine in the region, and now they’ll be serving a local beer to go along with it. That’s right, Party Time’s latest has been brewed for Mexi’s themselves and they’re hoping to start serving it tomorrow (Saturday, January 13th)! You may also see it also appear at Mexi’s Moncton location in the future. 

Staying in the HRM, downtown on Brunswick Street to be precise, 2 Crows has a new small batch they’ve put together for a special event at the brewery. Sickeningly Sweet was built on a blueberry and lemon sour base with a whole bunch of peaches and Nova Scotia honey added. Sweet, sour, and super fruity, it was developed with local drag star Diana B. Tease as a companion to the Canada’s Drag Race Season 4 Finale viewing party that they hosted last night. If you’re lucky, though, there will still be some of this one pouring at the taproom!

Sea Level Brewing has a new brew that has a fun accompanying video to show the process behind its production. Farmhouse Ale is their latest small batch creation that uses ingredients from their farm (just down the road from their brewery). The beer features hopes indigenous to the area that were discovered by Randy Lawrence who worked with the Harvie family (who purchased Sea Level a few years ago) to continue the use of the hops in Sea Level beer after the sale. These hops were believed to have originated with the Acadian settlers in Sheffield Mills. Additional Centennial hops were used to dial in the right bitterness and flavour. Kveik yeast was used here to bring it all together and stick with the farmhouse style that is hazy with pineapple, tangerine and pine flavours. It’s 4.6% and only available on tap at the brewery. We should note it’s also a small batch as this was the first harvest of the hops after their relocation. Try this one out now and look for it in a larger production in coming years when the hops are producing a larger yield. 

A fun contest of sorts out of Boxing Rock is our event of note for the week:

Down Shelburne way, Boxing Rock has a fun contest going on to mark Dry January’s end. To give everyone something to look forward to, they’re hosting a beer recipe contest! The goal is to design a beer that we can look forward to drinking once Dry January runs its course. 

Here’s the rub:

  1. Craft a beer recipe! (This is due 11:59 PM Atlantic Time on Monday January 15th)
  2. Create a pitch video!  (This is due 11:59 PM Atlantic Time on Thursday January 18th)
  3. Donate what you can to Feed NS. (There is a link on the application form)

If you’re the talented winner, you’ll be invited down for a brew day, given credit on the can, and provided with five cases of the end product to drink, hoard, or share with your beer-loving friends!

Check out all the details at the contest page here. 

Lots of places either need folks now or are looking forward to the busier months of the year; if you’re considering working in beer, peep the below for potential possibilities.

If you’re looking for work for your or someone you know, we’ve got some industry jobs in PEI, NS and Fredericton that we’re helping to get the word out!

  • Copper Bottom Brewing – Montague, PEI. They’re looking for a full-time Canning Line Operator. Check the link here to apply. 
  • Saltbox Brewing – Various Locations, NS. Summer Students come get your beer on. It’s only January, but they’re already looking for people to work their Mahone Bay, Bridgewater, Lunenburg and Wolfville locations for retail, packaging and events in the busy season. Check the link here to apply. 
  • Grimross Brewing – Fredericton, NB. They want a new bartender that can work some daytime hours. If interested, please email resumes to taproom@grimross.com.
  • Maybee Brewing – Fredericton, NB. These fine Freddy folks are in need of a part-time Taproom Server for 2-3 shifts a week, mostly evenings and weekends. You can apply in person at 559 Wilsey Rd, or email your resume to ashley@maybeebrew.com. 

This week we’re going to do something a little different (but something we’ll potentially do again), because there A lot of returning beers this week to breweries across the region. Coming off of the busy holiday season, it’s always nice to see what styles and old favourites are returning to the shelves and taps of our favourite breweries. Here we go with a second list! 

  • Tatamagouche Brewing
    • Apres Cream Ale, 4.5%. After taking home a Bronze at the Canadian Brewing Awards, this beer is back in 355ml cans, but now also in a 12 pack box! Grab this in-store or online.
    • Dusk Schwarzbier, 4.9%. It’s been a few years since we’ve seen this roasty, coffee and caramel-y dark lager and now it’s back in a smaller 355ml canned format! Available at the brewery and online.
  • Sourwood Cider – WABAMO Hopped Session Cider, 4.0%. This crusher is back with a new and improved recipe that is a little lighter in alcohol and acidity. Highly drinkable with citrus and floral flavours and aroma, this is in 355ml cans at Bishop’s Cellar and online from the brewery. 
  • Bannerman Brewing – Shore Leave Dry-Hopped Fruited Sour, 5.2%. Previously available when Bannerman first opened four years ago, this drinkable sour is dry-hopped with Mosaic and conditioned on blood orange and pineapple puree. This is available at the St. John’s brewery on tap and in cans.
  • Tanner & Co. Brewing – 1320 Cold IPA, 6.5%. One of the popular styles of 2023, was something that Tanner has done previously. Using local malt, the hops featured in this one is where the name comes from experimental hop variety YQH 1320 which will no doubt get a trade name in the coming year. It’s known for bringing big flavours of guava, citrus, and pineapple. 
  • Banished Brewing – Mirrors American Lager, 5%. The crushable king returns to cans, as this crisp lager is hopped with Saaz and Hallertau Blanc. It’s available now from the brewery and cans will be going across the province of Newfoundland through the week.
  • Schoolhouse Brewery – Fuzzy Peach Double IPA, 7.9%. A style that’s out of ordinary for the brewery, this big banger is back for a warm, boozy winter with a peach flavour! Grab this one from the Windsor brewery on tap and in cans. 

This isn’t usually something we post about, but it’s always fun to highlight the production and behind the scenes action of our regional breweries. Since Good Robot has been settled into their new Elmsdale location for over a year, they’ve been doing more than just brewing Good Robot beer. Take a look at this YouTube video that provides insight into what they’ve got going on in terms of equipment, canning details and capabilities of the facility.

Saint John residents (Saint Johners? Sea Dogs?) rejoice! Loyalist City Brewing has a new taproom and cocktail bar right above their existing location at 60 Water Street. The Second Story brings an elevated experience for craft beer, craft cocktails, and a very modern and refined space with lovely views of the harbour and port. We can say first hand that it’s a spot to check out if you’re in town. The current hours are 5pm ‘til Midnight on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, but extended hours and special events are soon to be announced on their Instagram page. Cheers to good news!

Friday Wrap-Up for December 1, 2023 – News from Artisan Brewing, Tanner & Co, Port Rexton, Bannerman, Breton, Great Roads, Boomstick, Seasoned Plate, Candid, Trailway, Sea Level, Copper Bottom, and Landwash!

Posted by acbbchris on 2023-12-01
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Artisan Brewing, Bannerman Brewing, Boomstick Brewing, Breton Brewing, Candid Brewing, Copper Bottom Brewing, Craft Brewers Association of Nova Scotia, Great Roads Brewing, Landwash Brewery, Millstone Harvest Brewhouse, Port Rexton Brewing Co., Sea Level Brewing, Seasoned Plate, Tanner & Co Brewing, TrailWay Brewing. Leave a Comment

Welcome to December in Atlantic Canada, or as we like to call it, Decembeer! Cheesy puns aside, we know that with the turn of the month comes the real ramping up of the holiday season, and breweries are working to get their end-of-year seasonals and special releases out of the tanks and into our eager hands, so we anticipate plenty of new releases to talk about over the next few weeks. We’ve also got a new spot open in New Brunswick and a couple of anniversaries to tell you about this week, so without further ado, let’s get to it!

Felicitations! Artisan Brewing at 66 Roseberry St. in Campbellton is finally serving their own beer! After being open for for over a year, and offering the largest selection of NB-brewed beer in Northern New Brunswick, their long term plan of brewing in-house is now a reality! They have launched their menu with four beers created on their 600 litre DME system: Original Lager, La Blonde a Jo Blonde, North Shore Session IPA, and Buck Fever White. The brewing team brings decades of experience to the table, led by Elise Cornellier Bernier, co-Founder and Head Brewer of A l’abri de la Tempete on Iles-de-la-Madeleine, with Zach O’Kane and Marc LeBlanc in the brewhouse. The taproom shares space with Smoke on the Water BBQ, and features two dozen more taps from their NB brewery pals. Growlers can be filled with your favourite beer, after enjoying a pint onsite.

From Northern NB to Nova Scotia’s South Shore, Tanner & Co Brewing has the latest release as they continue to explore historical styles. Princesse is an historical style from the Netherlands, created in tribute to Anna van Honnover, Princess of Oranje-Nassau in the 1700s. With a base of Horton Ridge Munich malt, the beer uses a combination of coriander, licorice root, and orange peel to deliver very special aromatics and flavour, fit for royalty. Cans and draught of this 4.1% ABV beer are available from both Tanner locations, and cans are available for delivery across the province and beyond.

Port Rexton Brewing is taking a decidedly hazier route this week, as they bring back their Continuum Series. Focussing on hop-forward, often single hop beers, the latest beer of the bunch is Continuum with Zappa Hops. Yes, named after *that* Zappa, these hops are grown exclusively in Washington’s Yakima Valley, but originated several thousand km south growing wild in the mountains of New Mexico. As such, the hop itself is dichotomous, with tropical fruit and fruity pebbles on the nose, yet the flavour leans toward pine and a touch of spice. Used throughout the boil, cooling, and fermentation, the 6.4% ABV beer has a medium-high bitterness to match the malt. Available on tap and in cans at the taproom, in cans at their St. John’s Retail Shop, and at better beer merchants very soon.

It seems in recent months as though more breweries in the region are starting to explore the saison style a bit again after what seemed to be a bit of a lull; and we’re all for it! Bannerman Brewing in St. John’s is the latest to release one, and it’s a doozy. New Perspective was brewed with cardamom and allspice, then conditioned on pear juice to bring a fruity character to match with those spices as well as the characteristic flavour contributions of the saison yeast strain. The result is a 5.0% beer that is complex, but also dry and refreshing. Also brand new from Bannerman is another twist on an established style, concocted with Selina from The Merchant Tavern down the block on Water Street. Hot Take is nominally an IPA, but one that was conditioned on pineapple and Thai chilis, which imparted both a slight fruity sweetness and a bit of spicy heat. You’ll find this super smooth 6.2% beauty on tap exclusively at Bannerman and The Merchant; cans are already available at the brewery and are being released into the wild next week.

Embracing the season is Breton Brewing, who have brought back their Gingerbread Holiday Ale. Based on the London ESB style, this 5.5% beer saw additions of ginger, cinnamon, all spice, and nutmeg to heighten the experience. If that weren’t enough, they’ve got a new release as well that’s also got “holiday” written all over it. A Munich Dunkel-style lager, with plenty of toasty malt and a lovely dark brown color with deep red overtones, it was infused with chestnut flavor. Sounds to us like a great beer to enjoy by the fire. Chestnut Lager is 5.4%, and it and the Gingerbread Holiday Ale are available at the brewery, and for home delivery and shipping across the province through their online shop. 

A quick one-two punch of Blueberry beers returning to the region: Great Roads Brewing in Lower Sackville, NS, has brought back their Blueberry Wheat Ale, a 4.1% light bodied beer with just enough blueberry to get the point across. Meanwhile, in Corner Brook, NL, Boomstick Brewing has brought back Nan’s Puddin’, encompassing all of the goodness of traditional baking, with blueberry, lemon, and vanilla in a tight package. Both spots have their beer on tap and in cans to go!

Our good pal Chef Stephen Barrett at Seasoned Plate continues to highlight the great independent breweries in Nova Scotia through a variety of avenues, including videos, posts, and now, a series of Holiday-themed beer and food pairings. These recipes are ones you can create at home, with Barrett highlighting a brewery and/or beer that will complement or contrast what’s on your plate. With seasonal recipes paired with beers from Yarmouth to Sydney, Chester to Tusket, they will be accessible to all! Keep an eye on SP’s Instagram page for the details as they drop, with the first video featuring Sober Island coming tomorrow!

In Antigonish, NS, Candid Brewing Company is celebrating their community with a benefit beer they’re calling Village. A light lager at 4.0% ABV, $1 from every pint and $2 from every six-pack sold throughout the month of December will be donated to the Antigonish Community Fridge. It’s already on tap at the brewery and will be available in cans to go next week.

Trailway’s Union House Taproom in Saint John took a bit of a hit recently, with an overzealous transport trailer taking out their sign. Apparently the driver missed the No Left Turn sign… Rather than get upset, the Tw Crew has made the most of the situation, and are releasing No Left Turns IPA today, to really drive the point home. As they wanted to match the smashing of their sign with some of equal power, they have released it as a SMaSH (Single Malt and Single Hop), featuring their house Pale malt, and all El Dorado hops throughout, the beer shows citrus, lemon, and tropical vibes. Cans and draught of the 5.6% IPA are available in Fredericton and Saint John now, keep your eyes peeled for them to hit the shelves elsewhere in the province as well.

Last week we mentioned that Sea Level Brewing out of Port Williams, NS, is celebrating their 16th anniversary and the 4th anniversary of their Millstone Harvest Brewhouse location and we’ve got news of a special beer release to toast with at their Anniversary Celebration that’s happening today. Buffalo Bourbon Barrel Blend is an excellent case of “does what it says on the tin” excepting that it’s not actually been canned. A blend of Sea Level’s Port in the Storm Porter and High Street Wee Heavy was pumped into a Buffalo Trace bourbon barrel and left to condition for 13 months. When it came out, it had picked up oak and whisky characters as well as a smoky finish from the barrel to pair with the rich and smooth chocolaty flavours inherent to the beer. Coming in at 7% ABV, it’s only available at the taproom for pints and a very limited run of 118 bottles (sporting a lovely label and wax seal). Head on down and toast the crew to help celebrate their anniversary and maybe grab one for the beer lover on your holiday shopping list (if you’re like us, that beer lover might be you!)

Happy Sixth Birthday to Copper Bottom in Montague! Celebrating tomorrow with live music from 1 PM, there will be an oyster bar onsite, and happy hour pints. One of those could be Birthday Beer 6, an 8.0% Imperial Peanut Butter Stout. Featuring Chocolate Malt, real peanut butter, and milk sugar, this beer features a rich and full bodied mouthfeel, with the flavour of Reese Peanut Butter Cups. Come on out to party with the CB crew, and big congratulations from the ACBB Family!

It’s also that time of year for Mount Pearl’s Landwash Brewery to celebrate their opening, which happened in December 2018. The Newfoundland Beer Scene has exploded since then, with a handful of openings since then, and a handful more expected by December 2024. In the meantime, let’s get you sorted for the fun in Mount Pearl! Wednesday, December 6th, marks their actual 5th Anniversary, and as such, they are giving everyone a deep discount on their beer, which includes a pair of holi- and birth-day themed debuts. Time Capsule is a Imperial Fruited Sour, absolutely full of puree from grapefruit, lime, mango, orange, and tangerine, and rounded out with some lactose, for a real fruit smoothie/juice box kinda vibe! But sporting an 8.0% tag means this is for adults only (but still fine for weekend breakfast/brunch). Their other new release will be Unrequited Dreams, a 10.0% Mint Chocolate Milkshake Stout. It’s pretty much all there in the name, but let’s give you a little more detail. Featuring cacao nibs from JACOBEAN Craft Chocolate, and vanilla beans, lactose, and peppermint added right in the fermenter, think After Eight, but in liquid form. Cans and draught of both of these will be available Wednesday Dec 6, so hold tight until then! Keep an eye on Landwash’s IG for all of the Anniversary fun next week/end.